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Games of the XXVII Olympiad

Canada qualified to participate in 28 of the 32 Olympic sports, and its 309 athletes brought home 14 medals – three gold, three silver, eight bronze – in 11 sports.

Canada’s first medal of the Games was golden courtesy of triathlete Simon Whitfield. His was one of five medals Canada claimed in inaugural Olympic events; the others were bronze by Dominique Bosshart in women’s +67kg taekwondo, Mathieu Turgeon and Karen Cockburn in men’s and women’s trampoline, and silver in 10m synchronized diving by Anne Montminy and Émilie Heymans. Montminy was Canada’s only double medallist at the Games, having won another bronze in the 10m platform event. Synchronized swimming continued its medal streak with a bronze in the team event – Canada has won a medal at every Games since the sport was added to the Olympic program in 1984. Daniel Nestor and Sébastien Lareau defeated the Woodies (Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge of Australia), the most famous doubles team in the world, to win Canada’s first-ever Olympic tennis gold medal. Rower Lesley Thompson, competing in her fifth Olympic Games, collected her fourth Olympic medal, a bronze in eight with cox, to add to her silver medals from 1984 and 1996 and gold from 1992.

In one of the greatest games in Canadian basketball history, the men’s team upset world champion Yugoslavia 83 – 75 to finish atop Pool B. Visions of Canada’s first Olympic basketball medal since 1936 disappeared three days later when Canada fell to France 63 – 68 in quarterfinal play. Wrestler Daniel Igali won a gold medal in the 69kg freestyle and swimmer Curtis Myden defended his bronze medal from Atlanta by finishing third in the 400m individual medley.

Olympic Oath (athletes): Rechelle Hawkes (hockey)

Olympic Oath (officials): Peter Kerr (water polo)

Olympic Oath (coaches): None

Lighting Olympic Cauldron: Cathy Freeman

Official Opening: the Governor General of Australia, Sir William Deane

History will be made in 2016 when Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hosts the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, marking the first time that a South American country will welcome the world to an Olympic Games. It is also just the third time that the Games will be held in the southern hemisphere, following Melbourne 1956 and Sydney 2000.